|
RB
Tyrell Sutton |
|
|
2006
Statistics |
Coach:
Pat Fitzgerald
4-8,
1 year |
2006
Record: 4-8 |
|
at
Miami OH |
WON
21-3 |
NEW
HAMPSHIRE |
LOST
17-34 |
EASTERN
MICHIGAN |
WON
14-6 |
at
Nevada |
LOST
21-31 |
at
Penn State |
LOST
7-33 |
at
Wisconsin |
LOST
9-41 |
PURDUE |
LOST
10-31 |
MICHIGAN
STATE |
LOST
38-41 |
at
Michigan |
LOST
3-17 |
at
Iowa |
WON
21-7 |
OHIO
STATE |
LOST
10-54 |
ILLINOIS |
WON
27-16 |
|
2006
Final Rankings
AP-UR, Coaches-UR, BCS-UR
|
2007
Outlook |
Thrust
into the top position last July by the untimely
passing of head coach and mentor Randy Walker,
the second season under legendary alum Pat
Fitzgerald should see the team improve across
the board. At 32, the Orland Park-product
is the youngest head coach in I-A, but he
retained almost the entire supporting staff
of Walker in an effort to bring both continuity
and a learning environment for both he and
his players. Fitzgerald’s strong recruiting
efforts speak of the youth movement, but
it is the litany of returning starters that
has the Wildcat faithful growling about
this year’s chances. We will first
have to see how well the offensive line
(and therefore the running game) will do
without their center and leader Trevor Rees
calling out assignments/schemes. Depth amongst
the talent guys is there, but success in
’07 will be predicated upon how well
the QB position develops in this sophisticated
offense. The defense has proven worth in
their deep front line and starting four
DBs, and the linebackers, expected to be
marginal as they rebuild, actually have
the potential to be another great Wildcat
corps. After learning hard lessons in ’06
by facing the conferences’ seven best
programs in succession (went 1-6), this
year’s slate breaks up NU’s
toughest games. Still, facing Ohio State
and Michigan back-to-back will truly let
Fitzgerald know where his team still needs
work, and not playing Wisconsin and Penn
State hints at a better win total. The bottom
line…Northwestern will probably win
against a few foes that seem better, but
they will also stumble against an underdog
or two to make finishing over .500 a worthwhile
goal. Fitzgerald is slowly building this
program right, banking on ‘old school’
fundamentals – toughness and discipline
with sound blocking and tackling –
that should produce a juggernaut within
a few years.
Projected
2007 record: 7-5
|
|
|
DE
Corey Wooton |
NORTHWESTERN
*POWER RATINGS |
Offense |
Defense |
QB
- 3 |
DL
- 3 |
RB
- 4 |
LB
- 2.5 |
WR
- 3 |
DB
- 3.5 |
OL
- 3.5 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS |
Passing:
C.J. Bacher, 95-161-8, 1172 yds., 6 TD
Rushing: Tyrell Sutton, 189 att.,
1000 yds., 5 TD
Receiving: Tyrell Sutton, 40 rec.,
261 yds., 2 TD
Scoring: Tyrell Sutton, 7 TD, 42
pts.
Punting: None
Kicking: None
Tackles: Adam Kadela, 80 tot., 45
solo
Sacks: Corey Wootton, 4.5 sacks
Interceptions: Brendan Smith, 3 for
82 yds.
Kickoff returns: Sherrick McManis,
28 ret., 21.0 avg., 0 TD
Punt returns: Brendan Smith, 4 ret.,
11.8 avg., 0 TD
|
|
|
|
|
OFFENSE
- 8
|
----RETURNING
STARTERS----
|
DEFENSE
- 9
|
|
KEY
LOSSES
|
OFFENSE:
Terrell Jordan-RB, Shaun Herbert-WR, Erryn
Cobb-FB/TE, Joe Tripodi-OG, Ryan Keenan-OT,
Joel Howells-K |
DEFENSE:
Nick
Roach-LB, Demetrius Eaton-LB, Marquice Cole-CB,
Slade Larscheid-P |
|
|
2007
OFFENSE
|
The
complex, ever-changing looks employed in coordinator
Garrick McGee’s offense can hopefully be
mastered well enough by his players so that they
don’t outsmart themselves while trying to
do the same to opposing defenses. Sorting out
the QB conundrum will go a long way toward allowing
the offense to gain momentum. Enter junior hurler
C.J. Bachér, who didn’t come close
to realizing his potential in his first year (’06)
as a starter. The former Old Spice Red Zone National
Player of the Year, out of Sacramento, has the
Academic All-Big Ten smarts to go with his quick
release. And even though throwing more interceptions
(eight) than TDs (six) is buoyed by his nearly
60% completion rate, he struggled at times and
was only 2-3 as a starter. Initially atop the
depth chart, Bachér wasn’t under
center to begin the 2006 proceedings - Mike Kafka,
the starter for the first four games after Bachér
went down with a stress-fracture before the campaign
even started, went down himself with a hamstring
problem against Nevada. Kafka, a dual-threat local
product (St. Rita) who only played one year of
prep QB, was 2-2 as the team’s field general,
though he definitely did much better as a runner
(kept defenses guessing) than as a passer (one
TD, five INTs). Now a receiver, Andrew Brewer
discovered his new destiny after he took over
for Kafka and struggled immensely against the
meat of the conference. Bachér was limited
in spring drills (recovering from toe surgery),
but his impact during the final scrimmage proves
he is still who McGee considers his top candidate.
All-conference junior Tyrell Sutton is the main
guy at tailback and is used extensively in the
flat. Injuries this spring to ex-sprinter Stephen
Simmons and Omar Conteh allowed senior Brandon
Roberson to surge up the depth chart, but we expect
all of these talented backs will contribute to
this already established unit. We’ll hit
our heads against the wall, but it has to be said
- getting the ball into the hands of capable sophomore
“superbacks” Mark Woodsum and Brendan
Mitchell can only put linebackers that much further
back on their heels. The depth at receiver is
vast, though this corps needs to work together
more to maximize the team’s offensive potential
with their still-learning QBs. 6’3 junior
Ross Lane is a great primary target who is looking
at a breakout year, as is other returning starter
and classmate Eric Peterman. Peterman is like
Brewer, a dual-threat QB prospect who just has
too much talent not to see the field for the Cats
on gameday. Shifty Rasheed Ward is their solid
fourth receiver, and the rest of the two-deep
has extensive experience so NU’s multiple-WR
sets can finally/hopefully deliver. The trio of
returning senior starters on the front line had
many prognosticators seeing the Wildcat’s
proverbial offensive glass as half full, but the
arrest (DUI) and subsequent indefinite suspension
of their top lineman, center Trevor Rees, means
identifying and carrying out the needed blocking
schemes/assignments will suffer. Senior guard
Adam Crum can slide over to compensate, but he
isn’t close to the center Rees would be.
6’8 LT Dylan Thiry offers solid blindside
protection, and versatile athlete Curt Mattes
as Thiry’s bookend makes this a solid starting
five if Rees is back. Otherwise, without him,
the unit will not operate as well, especially
with the green depth. No matter how sharp these
offensive players may be, OC McGee over-complicating
their approach won’t improve the basics
of execution needed to make the offense fly. If
the staff can keep it simple until the QB(s) prove(s)
he/they have the system down, Northwestern can
finish over .500.
|
|
C
Trevor Rees
|
|
|
NORTHWESTERN
2007 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold |
OFFENSE |
QB |
C.J.
Bacher-Jr (6-2, 200) |
Mike
Kafka-So (6-3, 220) |
RB |
Tyrell
Sutton-Jr (5-9, 190) |
Brandon
Roberson-Sr (5-9, 200) |
WR |
Andrew
Brewer-So (6-3, 210) |
Jeff
Yarbrough-Jr (5-11, 180) |
WR |
Eric
Peterman-Jr (6-1, 200) |
Carl
Fisher-Fr (6-0, 200) |
WR |
Ross
Lane-Jr (6-3, 190) |
Tonjua
Jones-Sr (6-2, 185) |
WR |
Rasheed
Ward-Jr (5-11, 180) |
Kim
Thompson-Sr (6-4, 190) |
TE/FB |
Mark
Woodsum-So (6-0, 240) |
Brendan
Mitchell-So (6-3, 250) |
OT |
Dylan
Thiry-Sr (6-8, 315) |
Mike
Boyle-Fr (6-7, 275) |
OG |
Adam
Crum-Sr (6-1, 285) |
Desmond
Taylor-So (6-3, 285) |
C |
Trevor
Rees-Sr (6-2, 280) |
Adam
Crum-Sr (6-1, 285) |
OG |
Joel
Belding-Jr (6-3, 300) |
Keegan
Grant-Fr (6-2, 295) |
OT |
Kurt
Mattes-So (6-6, 290) |
Ramon
Diaz-So (6-4, 295) |
K |
Stefan
Demos-Fr (5-10, 190) |
Amado
Villarreal-Jr (5-10, 180) |
|
|
2007
DEFENSE
|
Under
coach Fitzgerald and sixth-year taskmaster Greg
Colby, this side of the ball has made strides
in the offseason, especially in the trenches.
What was a young, undeveloped front line is now
a battle-tested, learn-through-their-mistakes,
gelled unit ready for even the conference’s
best running games. 6’7 Freshman All-American
(FWAA) end Corey Wootton led the team in sacks
(4.5) and TFLs (nine) as just a true freshman.
Senior Mark Koehn took the starting job (opposite
Wootton) from oft-injured classmate Dave Ngene
and Kevin Mims, so proven depth on the outside
is there to keep legs fresh. Inside, Freshman
All-American (Rivals) Adam Hahn and senior starter
John Gill have Keegan Kennedy pushing them for
reps, but from there, the dropoff (in needed girth)
could be a factor if injuries to these three hulksters
occur. Overall, we expect much improvement to
last year’s No.93 run defense. The linebackers
fortunately have the team’s leading tackler,
senior Adam Kadela, in the middle to give the
rebuilding efforts an excellent foundation. Like
his head coach and mentor, Kadela continues the
tradition of exceptional MLBs here in Evanston.
Junior Mike Dinard and senior Eddie Simpson were
on the field quite often last season, so their
elevation to starting status isn’t much
of a surprise. More importantly, note how the
backups are also all seasoned upperclassmen. Overall,
this will be a surprisingly staunch corps that
will stop the run better than they cover eligible
receivers in open spaces (which isn’t due
to a lack of speed, just their inexperience operating
as one fluid unit). The secondary, ranked fifth
in the Big Ten last year, returns three of its
regular starters along with athletic six-foot
sophomore Sherrick McManis, who started four times
as a productive freshman corner, to round out
their ranks. Senior corner Deante Battle hits
like a Mack truck as he closes with laser precision
– he should garner all-conference honors
by campaign’s close. Speaking of accolades,
All-Big Ten safety Brendan Smith led the team
in INTs (three) as a soph from his strong slot,
so we expect his junior experience to hone his
already productive efforts. Senior Reggie McPherson
also excels in coverage, and his history at multiple
positions means he isn’t afraid to put his
hat into the fray when raw strength is needed.
On paper, this is a proven, extremely talented
secondary, but depth issues could cost NU late
in games as these guys are just worn out from
how much energy they exert. Overall, this can
be a special year on defense…it all hinges
on how long it takes the LBs to gel and then embrace
their roles as the glue that binds every stopping
element.
|
|
DB
Brendan Smith
|
|
|
NORTHWESTERN
2007 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold |
DEFENSE |
DE |
Corey
Wootton-So (6-7, 275) |
Kevin
Mims-Jr (6-3, 270) |
DT |
John
Gill-Jr (6-3, 290) |
Marshall
Thomas-So (6-3, 265) |
DT |
Adam
Hahn-So (6-4, 295) |
Keegan
Kennedy-Jr (6-2, 285) |
DE |
Mark
Koehn-Sr (6-3, 265) |
David
Ngene-Sr (6-3, 260) |
SLB |
Eddie
Simpson-Sr (6-1, 230) |
Prince
Kwateng-Jr (6-2, 235) |
MLB |
Adam
Kadela-Sr (6-3, 240) |
Malcolm
Arrington-Jr (6-2, 235) |
WLB |
Mike
Dinard-Jr (6-2, 235) |
Chris
Malleo-Sr (6-2, 235) |
CB |
Deante
Battle-Sr (5-10, 180) |
Justan
Vaughn-Fr (6-0, 180) |
CB |
Sherrick
McManis-So (6-0, 180) |
David
Oredugba-Jr (6-2, 195) |
SS |
Brendan
Smith-Jr (6-0, 210) |
Brad
Phillips-So (6-4, 210) |
FS |
Reggie
McPherson-Sr (6-1, 200) |
Ben
Rothrauff-Sr (5-10, 195) |
P |
Kyle
Daley-Jr (6-0, 190) |
Stefan
Demos-Fr (5-10, 190) |
|
|
|
2007
SPECIAL TEAMS
|
Improvements
to what was the 109th net punting unit should be seen
as last year’s No.9 kicking prospect, Scott Demos,
competes with perennial big-legged backup Kyle Daley
for the vacancy. Demos is a ‘shoe in’ for
the placekicking opening, though Amado Villarreal is
pushing him there in case Demos doesn’t live up
to his hype. Coaches are excited about dangerous quicksters
Brendan Smith and/or Andrew Brewer taking over the punt
return duties, while Sherrick McManis is solid as a
kick return specialist.
|
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